Experimental study on a parallel optical fiber Sagnac loops-based sensor with the advantages of both high sensitivity and ultra-wide measurement range

Abstract

The Vernier effect (VE) in optical interferometers has been used to improve the sensitivity in the measurements of strain, temperature, refractive index, etc. However, as the wavelength shifts beyond a free spectral range (FSR), it is difficult to determine the magnitude of the physical quantity and the measurement range is usually narrow. To overcome this problem, we constructed a fiber optic sensor combining two parallel Sagnac interferometers (PSIs) with a fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The sensitivity of temperature and strain measurements were enhanced about 5 times due to the VE effect in PSIs. FBG spectrum, which showed a monotonic and linear variation trend along with the variation of strain and temperature, was used to estimate the magnitude of the physical quantity beyond the FSR. Finally, an average strain sensitivity of −104.4 pm/µε was obtained in a wide measuring range of 0–5440 µε, while an average temperature sensitivity of 6.12 nm/°C was obtained in the temperature range of 2–58 °C. The measurement range has been extended 6 times and 4 times respectively compared to a single FSR. The integration of PSIs and FBG sensors offers not only high sensitivity, but also a wide measuring range. It can be used in many areas including medical equipment, automotive, and aerospace to make accurate strain and temperature measurements.